Shades of Hate by K.N. BanetMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Results of Hatred
This book is the fifth in a continuing series. There are also related series that do not form part of this storyline but are set in the same world and share some world events and characters. Though the story continues there is no cliffhanger as the book concludes at a natural break.
Jacky is pretty happy with life at the moment. Her bar has been rebuilt from the ground up and it’s bigger and better. It’s also being run very efficiently by Oliver and Dirk, two humans raised in the werecat community. Jacky has stepped back somewhat from running the bar but it is still part of her life. Her relationship with Heath is stable and grows more important by the day to her, despite the necessity of keeping it secret from the supernatural community. She’s spending valuable time with Carey and she still relishes her relationship with Heath’s teenaged daughter. Life is pretty good until it isn’t.
Outside forces have put into action a plan to destroy her happiness and to hurt her and her family. She doesn’t see it coming and it blindsides her both metaphorically and literally. Everything she thought settled and solid becomes like shifting sand beneath her feet. The support of her family feels shaky, her life is at risk and she runs the risk of exposing her species, a secret that has been kept for centuries.
KN Banet layers up fantastic plot lines with emotional upheaval and solid world-building. This late into the series the world is well established and only previously fuzzy areas are fleshed out, such as relationships with the government. We see the growth and change of Jacky’s relationships with her werecat family and her feelings for Heath are subtly explored as they are shown to deepen and grow, without the romance being the main focus.
All the relationships in this book are complex and multifaceted. I love how well this author can seemingly focus tightly on so many separate relationships simultaneously. All the characters from Jacky, down to the bar clientele are important.
This author is capable of writing exciting and challenging plot lines that only enhance the writing about the relationships rather than diverting attention from them. It takes a really gifted author to pair up writing so well about plot and exciting events and also showing subtle character and emotional evolution. You don’t see it very often, but it’s what makes this author so often rate 5 ⭐️, because she is capable of this level of writing.
I can’t wait to read the rest of this series, and all the spin-offs set in the Tribunal Archives World.
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